. . . .MUSIC INDUSTRY vs. NAPSTER AND THE WORLD. . . . . .Sometimes in order for people to understand a situation, it is useful to argue to the absurd.
Many youngsters think that distributing copies of music is OK, because they can. The courts say it is breaking the law and has shut down those entities that perpetuate the process. . .such as Napster.
Gnutella, Scour and others have no central database, but rather are merely a process that links users' computers the world over. The problem is that "just because you can, does not mean you should"!!
You could walk out of Kinkos after making your copies. You could drive away from a gas station after filling your tank. You could steal from your neighbors house while they are on vacation. You could betray your friends, cheat on your spouse and lie to your family. And if nobody ever finds out, does that make it OK?
Or you could distribute another person's music in exchange for music you didn't pay to own. It is against the law. But those doing it, must see it for what it is. However, more importantly, I believe they must see what the world could become, if they or others were to exploit every technological loophole that comes along.
Letting the mind flow in the argument to the absurd, let us consider some possibilities. . . .
A person could use a digital zoom camera from a seat in a baseball stadium to read the pitch that the catcher is asking the pitcher to throw. . . then broadcast the pitch in a covert way to the batter. . . in a similar way to the Archipelago "Land Without Secrets" commercial. Would it be right, just because we can?
Due to the digital nature of telephone calls, what if one day a person were to stumble onto a way to capture conversations within the Pentagon or the White House or the Kremlin? And what if that person were then to "distribute" such phone calls in such a way as there were no central database, but the calls were sent out from any persons computer that happened to listen to them. Should this be allowed to continue? And what if the phone calls that were being published were yours. . .talking to your lawyer, your employer or your wife. . . cataloged by your last name and the subject of the call?
Or how about intercepting a Pay-Per-View Mike Tyson Cannibal-O-Rama or worse a Pay-Per-View WWF Championship Fight? These were then swapped in real-time. . absolutely free. . . for a song. . . to anyone that had some music to share. . . .or for that matter. . .all of television placed online for the purpose of direct-delivery without payment for the programming and commercial free. What would it do to the industry? What about Mike? And where would it end? Why would it end?
"Just because you can, does not mean you should". . .
I could go on like this all night. . .Corporate secrets just by logging on? Confidential Medical Records published for all to see? Published criminal evidence before the trial. . .which compromises the integrity of the judicial process leading to a mis-trial and perhaps far far worse. . . use your imagination. .
How about a way to tap into the emergency band frequencies from any computer in the world. . .in such a way that there was no way of tracking, therefore no retribution. . . .so that all anyone had to do was type in an emergency, like a 911 operator does. . .then police cars, fire trucks and paramedics begin to roll. And what if those that need emergency attention die, because emergency help is off on a wild goose chase? Whose fault is it? But it is free speech, is it not? The person that wrote the phoney emergency had a right to post it, because they could. . . didn't they?
How about sharing credit card numbers in a massive inter-woven complex database like those of Scour Exchange or Gnutella. . . you put in a valid credit card number. . .and you get a different valid credit card number back. Who would do it? How popular would it become? And what sort of chaos would it create?
Now obviously a bootleg Slim Shady is a far cry from misguided paramedics. . . but in the absurdity, one can see the direction we are headed, if we ignore violations and violators simply because it is difficult to prosecute.
High-Technology is good. . .and can make the entire world more productive. . . but if left without a good set of rules, laws and guidelines. . . instead of leading to a world of health, prosperity and unity. . .we could be leading to one with anarchy, confusion and lawlessness.
I say prosecute all copyright violators. . . starting with each copycat site and those that developed them. . . and just like the vice squads do. . . go after the users of such sites, when possible. . . sending a message to would be users.
Stop the insanity. . before it becomes unstoppable.
Opinionated as ever. . .
Rande Is |
